Edge guide for finned tube baseboard heaters



Fig.

Sept. 1967 K. o. SCHLENTNER ETAL 3,

7 EDGE GUIDE FOR FINNED TUBE BASEBOARD HEATERS Filed Oct. 15, 1965 2Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTORS. Karl 0. Sch/snipe Horace Wells W/H/ams 7 BYZ/MJLEWQM Em Lu/ THE /R A 7' TORNE YS p 1967 K. o. SCHLENTNER ETAL3,339,630

EDGE GUIDE FOR FINNED TUB E BASEBOARD HEATERS Filed Oct. 15, 1965 2Sheets$heet CILZZIWIM INVENTORS. Karl 0. Sch/enfner BY Horace WellsWilliams Fig.7

THE/R A T TORNEYS Patented Sept; 5, 1967 3,339,630 EDGE GUIDE FOR FINNEDTUBE BASEBOARD HEATERS Karl 0. Schlentner, Westchester, Ill., and HoraceWells Williams, Johnstown, Pa., assignors to Crane Company, Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 496,525 7Claims. (Cl. 165-55) This application relates to finned tube heatexchange units and more particularly to edge guides therefor.

The conventional baseboard heat exchange unit, having fins mounted atclosely spaced intervals along the length of the tube through which theheating medium is circulated, is contained in a substantiallyrectangular enclosure and is supported by resting the edges of the finson brackets mounted in the enclosure perpendicular to the axis of thetube and to the enclosure wall on which the unit is mounted. Duringthermal expansion and contraction of the heat exchanger, the edges ofthe fins on the unit drag across the surfaces of the supporting bracketscausing an objectionable scraping or pinging noise. In our invention, anonmetallic parting member is disposed between the fins and each supportbracket, effectively removing any undesirable scraping sounds which mayresult during thermal expansion and contraction of the unit.

In the accompanying drawings, We have illustrated certain presentlypreferred embodiments of our invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial perspective view of a heat exchange unit embodyingour invention.

FIGURE 2 is a partial perspective view showing our invention positionedon the heating unit support.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of our invention.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged front elevation view of our invention.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged side elevation view of our invention.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section taken along the lines VIVI of FIGURE4.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged bottom view of our invention.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a heat exchange unit 8 comprises a mediumconducting tube 9 and a plurality of rectangularly shaped fins 10mounted normal to the tube 9 at closely spaced intervals along the outersurface of the tube length. The unit 8 is contained in a metal enclosure11 'having a vertical back wall 12 and a substantially vertical frontwall 13, shown in shadow on the drawing. A bracket support 14 having avertical arm 15 attached to the back Wall 12 and a horizontal arm 16extending perpendicular to the arm 15 and to the back wall 12 and normalto the axis of the tube 9 supports the heat exchange unit 8. An upperarm 17 parallel to said horizontal arm 16 and in the same vertical planeas the arm 16 extends perpendicular to the back wall 12 of enclosure 11and is vertically spaced from the horizontal arm 16. The front wall 13of the enclosure is adapted to engage arms 16 and 17 to complete theenclosure of the heat exchange unit 8.

The horizontal arm 16 of the bracket support 14 extends from the backwall 12 beneath and parallel to the fins 10 a distance sufiicient toinclude the vertical components 18 of a pair of angle-shaped nonmetallicparting members 19 of edge guides 20 between the back wall 12 and theouter end 21 of the horizontal support arm 16. Each guide 20 ispositioned on the horizontal arm 16 with the vertical component 18 ofthe parting member 19 along the side edges of the fins and with theguide length parallel to the longitudinal axis of the conducting tube 9such that the edges of the fins 10 rest in the angle shape of theparting member 19. Moreover, the length of the parting member is greaterthan the Width of the horizontal support arm 16, therefore, no portionof the arm 16 can contact the fins 10 of the heat exchange unit 8.

As shown in FIGURE 2, a pair of edge'guides 20 are positioned on thehorizontal support arm 16, each guide 20 having a parting member 19including a vertical component 18 and a horizontal component 22. A studelement 23 of width sufiicient to frictionally contact the opposingfaces of adjacent fins extends vertically upward from the horizontalcomponent 22 of the member 19. Since the width of each stud elementclosely approximates the space between opposing surfaces of adjacentfins, movement or play between the heat exchange unit and the edge guideis eliminated when the guide is in position along the fins. Duringthermal expansion and contraction of the heat exchange unit, the unitand the edge guides ride on or slide across the horizontal bracketsupport arms without undesirable noise.

The detail structure of our preferred edge guide is shown in FIGURES 3-7of the drawings.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the vertical stud element 23 located on thehorizontal component 22 of the parting member 19 is a hollow extrudedmember, generally of cylindrical cross-section, having flats 24 forfrictional contact with opposing faces of adjacent fins of a heatexchange unit. FIGURE 3, as well as FIGURE 7, also shows openings 25outside the opposed flats 24 which openings provide the clearancerequired for the mandrel (not shown) used in extruding the vertical studelement 23 shown in our preferred embodiment.

FIGURE 4, particularly, illustrates the shape of the vertical studelement 23, showing the reduced crosssectional area of that portion ofthe stud element adjacent the horizontal component 22 of the partingmember 19. Where, as in some conventional baseboard heating units,opposing faces 'of adjacent fins have reinforcing ribs extendinggenerally horizontally from the outside edges of the faces, the shoulderportion 26 of stud element may be seated on the upper edges of suchreinforcing ribs to provide locking engagement between the fins and theedge guide. The sectional view, in FIGURE 6, of the reduced portion ofthe stud element 23 points up the limited attachment area between thehorizontal component 22 and the vertical stud element 23.

To provide a smaller contact area between the edge guide 20 and thehorizontal arm of the bracket support, thereby reducing the possibilityof noise arising from the moving contact between the guide and thebracket support arm, We have also included in our preferred embodiment,as shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 7, a longitudinal raised rib portion 27 onthe underside of the horizontal component 22 of the parting member 19.During movement of the unit, the rib portion 27, which is longer thanthe width of the horizontal arm and extends substantially the entirelength of the horizontal component of the parting member, enables theguide to slide smoothly on the horizontal bracket support arm, FIGURE 5is especially illustrative of the position of the rib portion 27 on thebottom of the horizontal component 22 of the parting member 19 betweenthe vertical stud element 23 and the vertical component 18 of theparting member.

It is evident from the foregoing description that our guide is easy toattach to a finned heating unit to eliminate any undesirable scrappingnoise which might occur during thermal expansion and contraction of theunit. Further, since conventional forming methods may be used in makingour guide, it can be inexpensively fabricated in any desired quantity.

While We have described the presently preferred em bodiments of ourinvention, it is to be understood that it may be otherwise embodied withthe scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An edge guide in a baseboard heating unit, said unit having a heatexchange unit having a medium conducting tube with a plurality of finsmounted at close intervals on the outer surface of the tube andextending at an angle to the tube, said fins having bottom and sideedges and adjacent fins having opposed faces, an enclosure for the heatexchange unit, and a support within the enclosure for the heat exchangeunit, said support having a horizontal arm extending beneath the bottomedges of the fins to support said heat exchange unit, said guidecomprising (A) an angle shaped nonmetallic parting member adapted to bepositioned between the horizontal .arm of said support and the bottomedges of said fins and having (a) a vertical component to extend alongthe side edges of said fins, and (b) a horizontal component to extendalong and in contact with the bottom edges of said fins (c) saidangle-shaped member having a length greater than the Width of thehorizontal arm of said support, and (B) a stud element extendingvertically upward from said horizontal component between adjacent finsand to frictionally engage the opposed faces of said fins to hold theedge guide on the fins. 2. An edge guide as described in claim 1 inwhich the parting member is a piece of plastic material.

3. An edge guide as described in claim 1 in which the parting member ispolyethylene.

4. An edge guide as described in claim 1 in which the stud element issubstantially circular in cross-section and has opposed flats whichengage opposed faces of adjacent fins.

5. An edge guide as described in claim 1 in which the stud element isintegral with the parting member, the horizontal component of saidparting member having clearance near the base of said stud element toaccommodate a mandrel for extruding said stud element.

6. An edge guide as described in claim 1 and having a rib portion on theunderside of said horizontal component between said stud element andsaid vertical component, the length of said rib portion being greaterthan the width of said horizontal arm, said rib portion adapted to be insliding contact with said arm.

7. An edge guide in a baseboard heating unit as described in claim 1 inwhich opposed faces of adjacent fins have generally horizontallyextending reinforcing ribs and in which said stud element has a shoulderportion 'spaced from the horizontal component of the parting member adistance substantially equal to the upper edges of said ribs, thecross-section of said shoulder portion being greater than the spacebetween opposed ribs on the fins to seat on said ribs thereby providinglocking engagement between said shoulder portion and said adjacent fins.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,455,708 12/1948 Sherwin 165-692,963,276 12/1960 Nelson 16582 3,152,637 10/1964- Ronn et a1. 165823,266,563 8/1966 Sinclair 16555 X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primaiy Examiner.

A. W. DAVIS, IR., Assistant Examiner.

1. AN EDGE GUIDE IN A BASEBOARD HEATING UNIT, SAID UNIT HAVING A HEATEXCHANGE UNIT HAVING A MEDIUM CONDUCTING TUBE WITH A PLURALITY OF FINSMOUNTED AT CLOSE INTERVALS ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE TUBE ANDEXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO THE TUBE, SAID FINS HAVING BOTTOM AND SIDEEDGES AND ADJACENT FINS HAVING OPPOSED FACES, AN ENCLOSURE FOR THE HEATEXCHANGE UNIT, AND A SUPPORT WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE FOR THE HEAT EXCHANGEUNIT, SAID SUPPORT HAVING A HORIZONTAL ARM EXTENDING BENEATH THE BOTTOMEDGES OF THE FINS TO SUPPORT SAID HEAT EXCHANGE UNIT, SAID GUIDECOMPRISING (A) AN ANGLE SHAPED NONMETALLIC PARTING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BEPOSITIONED BETWEEN THE HORIZONTAL ARM OF SAID SUPPORT AND THE BOTTOMEDGES OF SAID FINS AND HAVING (A) A VERTICAL COMPONENT TO EXTEND ALONGTHE SIDE EDGES OF SAID FINS, AND (B) A HORIZONTAL COMPONENT TO EXTENDALONG AND IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM EDGES OF SAID FINS (C) SAIDANGLE-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF THEHORIZONTAL ARM OF SAID SUPPORT, AND (B) A STUD ELEMENT EXTENDINGVERTICALLY UPWARD FROM SAID HORIZONTAL COMPONENT BETWEEN ADJACENT FINSAND TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE OPPOSED FACES OF SAID FINS TO HOLD THEEDGE GUIDE ON THE FINS.